Netanyahu has no choice but to freeze East Jerusalem building – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

“There is no way we will give Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] a license to build in East Jerusalem,” the American official said with unconcealed anger. “Our letter will not mention, or even hint at, the explicit word ‘Jerusalem.'”

The establishment of a Jewish compound near the Old City is upsetting the Arabs (not only the Palestinians ), and therefore the Americans, far more than the addition of a few apartments in a settlement on the outskirts of Ramallah. But U.S. President Barack Obama has come to realize that there is no chance Netanyahu will officially agree to a moratorium on construction in East Jerusalem